Survivors Story
by elfmaiden4legs
Summary: ****Both Jack and Rose survive the sinking that cold, tretcherous evening... this is their story!


**Survivors Story**

**My first 'Titanic' fic! Please REVIEW!**

"_Is there anyone alive out there? Can anybody hear me?"_

Rose opened her tired and heavy eyes, lids as heavy as lead with exhaustion and the bitter cold, as she heard voices calling, shouting, in the distance. Her heart almost leapt with renewed hope and joy as she spotted the glow of a searchlight in the distance, and the faint outline of a boat… but she was too numb to dare to believe…

"Jack, Jack… Jack, there's a boat Jack! Jack there's a boat! Jack! There's a boat Jack! Jack!" She called weakly, shaking her young lover gently by the arms as she watched, her heart sinking, the boat sailing away, the voices growing more distant.

Jack opened his eyes slowly to the sound of her voice. His lips were blue, small icicles were beginning to form in his hair and on the tips of every soaking limb, and his skin was ghostly pale, despite her own dilemma she was instantly worried for him, Rose had now lost track of how long he'd been floating in the treacherously freezing waters for, and he looked to be barely clinging onto life. Rose sighed inwardly, she realised that he'd hold on for her, for as long as he possibly could, until he knew that she would be safe… but what then she wondered… how much longer could he hold on for, barely clinging onto life, and teetering on the edge of death…

"There's a boat!" She smiled.

"I don't think I can move." He whispered weakly. "You're going to have to swim for it Rose!"

"No! Not… not without you!" She protested, but she realised that even now the boat floated further away from them, already a much smaller silhouette on the horizon, if it disappeared completely all hope would be lost, they'd both die here, freeze to death, lost in the murky and lonely crypt of the Atlantic ocean.

"I'll… I'll only hold you up!" He gasped, teeth chattering, the effect of the icy waters, in between raged breaths.

This was it… it was now or never… she was going to have to face it, conquer her fears, face up to the waters icy chill… if not for her own sake, for Jack… if she didn't do this, he was going to die!

Screwing her eyes tightly shut she fought to roll her body over, over the edge of the slab of wood which had been keeping her afloat and into the inky depths below, sending the water cascading upwards in a series of small pools around her. It's freezing temperature struck her like a huge and heavy blow to her chest, instantly knocking the air out of her, crushing and compressing her lungs with the cold, and her limbs became a dead weight at her side.

"I… I don't think I can do it…" She gasped, as she tried to swim, finding herself going nowhere except for where the gentle current took her as she floated along in it's powerful clutches.

"Of… of course you can Rose…" Jack choked, forcing his words out between clenched teeth, and Rose could tell that he too was finding it difficult to breath, probably struggling even more so than herself now, because he had been in the water longer. "S, S, S, Swim! You can do it! I know you can! Remember Rose… never let go!" He reminded her, encouraging her, spurring her on.

"Never let go Jack!" She whispered, smiling slightly.

"They're going away Rose…" Jack observed, and Rose struggled to turn herself around in the water to see that he was right… the boat was now but a tiny blip on the horizon to her eyes.

"No… come back… come back… come back…" She called, as she began to swim, her limbs like excess lead as she propelled herself through the dark and freezing waters, forcing them to work for her, against all odds.

"The whistle Rose." Jack murmured, glancing sideways out of the corner of his eyes towards the officer who'd been floating barely a few metres beside them, since the hour the ship had sunk. It was all he could do, too weak to move his head. "You need to get the whistle Rose!" He urged her.

"I… can't…" She cried.

"You can…"

"The water's so c, c, cold Jack…" She shivered.

"I… I believe in you…"

And this, if nothing else had already done so this evening, spurred her on.

"Swim Rose… k… keep swimming…" He called, as she proceeded to drag, and pull herself, and fight her way through the water. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, and suddenly she was at the side of the White Star officer. His eyes were glassy and expression vacant, his flesh grey and pale, his body stiff and cold… he was evidently dead… and Rose's hand was clasped around the whistle still hanging from his mouth.

She put it to her own numb lips and began to blow. The sound it made was weak and only subtle at first, but soon grew in strength and volume as Rose put every ounce of strength she had left into making as much noise as possible.

As Rose blew on the whistle she could hear Jack's teeth chattering behind her as he hoarsely called "Come back…"

"Come back…" Rose joined in his chorus, between breaths. "Come back…"

Suddenly however the small boat on the horizon stopped, all was silent except for the sound of the whistle still hanging from Rose' lips, and Jack's voice, now barely a whisper, growing weaker in the background.

"Go back, we have two survivor's back here." Rose heard a male's voice suddenly call… the same voice she'd first heard calling out into the darkness maybe… the voice which had spurred her awake… and her heart soured.

Both her and Jack were suddenly illuminated by the bright light of the search lamp, guiding the lifeboat towards them.

Minutes later… minutes which had felt like hours as the two had waited for the small life boat to find it's way back to them, both Jack and Rose felt themselves being hauled by strong arms from the freezing waters and into the solid, welcome bowls of the boat.

As both were laid down at the feet of their rescuers, the surviving members of the White Star's crew, and warm blankets were placed over the top of them Rose looked at Jack and sighed. "We made it Jack!" She exclaimed weakly.

"We made it!" He smiled.


End file.
